Rear Window
by wimmer511
Summary: Jane and Lisbon are requested on a murder case in D.C. right after the events of Blue Bird. Jane is forced to solve the case from the hotel. He and Lisbon navigate their new relationship in this tricky situation. Very loosely based on one of my favorite movies by the same name. Pike will be in this story, but very little.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Welcome to my new story. Based very loosely on Alfred Hitchcock's movie by the same name and it picks up right after Blue Bird. Trying something new with this. Hope you like it!  
**

**Disclaimer: I do not own The Mentalist or Rear Window, nor do I make money from fanfics.**

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Chapter 1

His foot wasn't broken. Jane knew that for a fact, had gone to a doctor and everything. Sure, it had been at Lisbon's insistence, but he'd done it. So what if it was swollen to the size of an orange; sprains sometimes did that!

He wiggled on his couch, causing it to squeak, and stared at his foot propped up on a chair Wylie had dragged over for him and glared in the direction of Abbott's office. He knew he should be more charitable toward the man who had pushed him in the right direction in his relationship with Lisbon, but he had the sneaking suspicions that Abbott hadn't just done it out of the goodness of his heart and on top of that, the man had forbidden him from leaving the office until his foot was better. Instead he was being forced to look at cold cases. Didn't Abbott know that sprains could last weeks! He could go crazy in that time—especially if Lisbon got to go out on a case and he got stuck here.

He was still planning his revenge against the traitor Cho for siding with Abbott when he'd stated that he got chased enough to need his ankles in good working order. Fischer and Wylie had both laughed out loud at that, and Cho had had to suppress a grin. He'd glared at them as Abbott crossed his arms in victory over him. They were all on his list now.

Lisbon had been the only one who had taken pity on him. As a matter of fact, she seemed to regard his jumping a fence and illegally boarding a plane as something almost heroic and very romantic forgiving him for his shenanigans in Florida without another word about it. She'd always been loving and caring toward him, but it was different than now. She'd been downright demonstrative lately and he loved it. How he'd missed being in a real relationship and the fact that it was Lisbon made it all the better. The idea that he got to see her this way was heartening.

He hadn't thought of his actions as heroic or romantic at the time, had only thought of his desperation to get to her before it was too late. He was glad she was so flattered by it. He liked her knowing, to an extent, the lengths he'd go to for her. Of course he hadn't told her that he been coming up with back up plans as he was running around the airport, jumping over the fence and running up the tarmac.

It'd briefly crossed his mind, when he'd wondered if the flight attendant would open the door, to shout "bomb". Then he would have had to come up with a plan to get out of jail and chase her to D.C. and of course get her away from Pike long enough to confess his love without getting a punch in the nose from said _fiancé_. He didn't want a punch in the nose. Although, he would have gladly accepted one from her if it'd meant them ending up together. Never from Pike, though. He'd taken enough of an emotional beating because of that man to last a lifetime. As a matter-of-fact, it was two days after she'd chosen him that he'd found out she'd agreed to marry Pike and the very idea, even now made him feel beyond queasy.

He shook his head, releasing all those unpleasant thoughts and decided he'd keep most of them to himself. He and Teresa had been officially a couple for five days and the last thing he wanted to do was scare her and her flight reflex away. Although, and admittedly, it hadn't been the best idea to bring up marriage last night over dinner, but the idea that she'd been engaged to another man mere days before had it on his mind.

On Lisbon's part, and aside from a slight stiffening of her posture, she'd handled it like a pro. He was in uncharted waters here though and nights with her where all he had to look forward to right now, even if they were spent on the couch in her house—being sequestered from real world work, stuck in the cold FBI offices, bored out of his mind, from eight to five. Blah. Really, he could not afford to alienate her.

He looked at his foot again. Okay, so it'd only been three days since he'd gotten back to work and admittedly having the back of Lisbon's head to stare at was a comfort. She'd even brought in a cushion for him to prop his foot up on and would periodically, throughout the day, change out icepacks. She'd even dropped a kiss on his lips the last time she'd done it an hour ago. That had been nice, and slightly unexpected. He knew the last thing she wanted was to get the gossip mill turning, and she was at a bad start, but he could see her mulling it over before she'd actually done it. She'd wanted that kiss and the very thought made him warm all over.

He smiled just thinking about it. Then looked at his watch and sighed. It was only three. Two more hours before he could leave and another hour before, by his count, Lisbon would replace his icepack again. Would this nightmare never end? He sighed again—loudly.

Lisbon turned in her seat and looked at him, brows raised with an amused smirk on her face. "What?"

He shook his head and looked away evasively. He made a noncommittal sound.

"Okay…suit yourself." She turned back to her computer and started tapping out something dull and probably meaningless in the grand scheme of things.

Jane shrugged. She had been effusive and tender, but she was still Lisbon and even being in a romantic relationship with her wasn't going to get her to beg him to tell her what was wrong. It might have worked on Angela at the beginning of their relationship, but they'd both been much younger than he and Lisbon were now and Lisbon had never liked games. At least not those kinds of games.

"I'm bored," he confessed.

"I'm shocked," she said trying to feign indifference, but he could sense a smile in her tone.

He let out a grumble. "What if we took the rest of the day off? We could go do something touristy and then get takeout to share on the carpet in your living room in front of the T.V., watch an old movie and then maybe a little something else after that," he laced his voice with innuendo.

She turned in her seat and looked at him, face crimson and with a scowl firmly in place. "Stop that, we're at work."

He chuckled.

"I'm serious."

"So am I," he told her raising his eyebrows up and down several times.

She held back a grin. "If I take any time off it'll be to unpack _all _of my belongings and besides, you can't do touristy things with a sprained ankle."

He felt his smile widen and opened his mouth to remind her of his other suggestions, when she smirked, forced a frown and whispered a firm "no."

He shrugged.

"Tell you what," she said with clear adoration that made him shiver, "you behave yourself and I'll…"

"We're up!" Abbott announced walking into the bullpen.

"Not now!" Jane snapped at Abbott before looking back at a perpelexed Lisbon with a grin. "You'll what?"

She scoffed. "Don't be rude." She spun her chair around to look at Abbott and Jane followed suit. Abbott's attention was clearly on Lisbon and Jane could feel the hair on the back of his neck go up. "Don Matthews is requesting our help."

Her chin pulled back. "From the Serious Crimes Unit in D.C.?"

"Yes," Abbott breathed out. "Apparently five agents were murdered last night and he's short staffed at the moment. Agent Pike told him you were the one for the job."

Jane pulled his leg down from the spot on the chair and sat up straight. He'd not even had a week with her yet, and already Pike was looking for ways to get her to D.C. He felt sick with jealousy, but if he was being totally honest, he was also a little impressed. "They don't have agents in D.C. that they can call in for this?"

He saw Lisbon look at him then back to Abbott.

"They have every agent working on it. The son of the Director of the FBI was one of the agents killed," Abbott addressed Jane, then looked at Lisbon. "They wanted the best and that's you."

"Sir," Lisbon stuttered. "I-I'm not sure it would be the best idea to send me out there right now."

Abbott nodded. "I understand your situation, but you're going to have to put your discomfort aside…"

Jane stood up and made his way to Lisbon's desk, trying not to limp too much and placed a hand on her shoulder before addressing Abbott. "She is the best, but you can't be serious—you can't send her to D.C.," Jane tried to protest.

Abbott's brow furrowed for a moment and then he smiled. "I think you misunderstood me. Agent Pike told them to request both of you and I volunteered the rest of the team. We'll all be going."

"What?" Lisbon choked out.

Jane looked down and was surprised to see her face had blanched and she looked as though she might be sick.

"We fly out tonight at seven," Abbott said. He then turned and walked back to his office.

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**A/N: If you are following The Closet Effect the last chapter will be up tomorrow. **

**Reviews are always appreciated! **


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Two things crossed Jane's mind as he entered Uninhibited Night Club with a cotton hoodie pulled up over his head. One, that he could've thought of a better name for a nightclub and if given a chance would be sure to make his sentiments on that matter known, and two, hoodies were really very comfortable.

Of course he would always prefer his suits to everyday casual wear, but there was something to be said for the way Lisbon's eyes had roamed his body when he'd come out of the strip mall, they'd stopped at after they left the airport, in jeans, a light blue t-shirt and gray hoodie. She'd definitely liked what she'd seen. Despite the limping.

Not limping was becoming increasing difficult, especially as he made his way through the orgy of swaying, sweaty bodies, in the dark club to the far wall where he had a reasonably good view. For all his complaining of boredom over the last few days, he was starting to think that maybe Abbott had been right about him staying out of the field for awhile.

Ten minutes, he reminded himself as he lifted his watch to see how much time he had left. He told himself and the team that all he needed was ten minutes. Lisbon hadn't liked it and had told him that if he wasn't back in exactly that time she was coming in after him. She was worried for him. He didn't have a gun or any of those hand to hand fighting combat skills, and even though he'd never admit it, he also couldn't use his normal fall back of running, and Lisbon knew it.

So, ten minutes was it. He couldn't have her coming in after him, or any of the team for that matter. He had a plan forming in his mind and that plan necessitated that his identity, Lisbon's and the teams as a whole, remain secret. Which was exactly why he'd chosen to go with the hoodie.

He'd thought about sending in one of Don Matthew's men, but since this was the club where Don's undercover agents spent a good portion of their time, blowing their covers apparently, and after talking with them via video conference, on the flight over, Jane had absolutely no confidence in their ability to do what needed to be done.

He scanned the room until he saw what he was looking for: a group of men trying hard to be inconspicuous and failing miserably at it. He hadn't even needed to be anywhere near this club to know that wearing a suit here would make you stand out like a sore thumb. All he'd needed was one picture of the outside of the building, and that had barely anything to do with his skills of observation. Not one man in the line had been wearing a suit. Amateurs.

"Hey baby," a low female voice interjected as he watched the men across the club. They were now seated in one of the leather booths. It took him a minute to register that he was the one being spoken to and he was sure he wouldn't have noticed, if the scantily clad woman with long blonde hair, hadn't stepped right into his line of vision.

He looked at her slightly perplexed.

"Looking for a dance partner?" she asked, heaving her chest forward in a manner that he supposed was meant to seem subtle.

He cringed. "No," he said and stepped to the side so he could see the group of men again. They were clearly in the middle of a business meeting and Jane was a little disappointed to see that while there was clearly a chain of command here, these men were all pretty far down on the totem pole.

"I'm a really good dancer," he heard the woman say as she laced her hand around his bicep and stepped into his personal space.

He immediately started to lift his left hand to show his ring, his fall back whenever he wanted to get out of this kind of situation, but suddenly it felt wrong. Yes, he was one-hundred percent taken, but no longer by the woman who had given him the ring. He felt a small pang of guilt and lowered his hand again.

"I could show you moves you've never seen before," she said once again shoving her dangerously large breasts at him.

"I neither want a lap dance from you, nor could afford one, now move along," he bit out.

The woman's face blanched and she let out an undignified shriek before turning and pushing into the crowd.

He looked back at the men and after another minute was able to identify the one in charge of this group. He was about six feet tall with a long nose and slicked back hair. He was wearing an Armani knock-off that he had way more pride in than he had right too, and was wearing a bright red tie. The man had no patience, but the other men took his verbal abuse without a word. It was obvious he was the leader of this particular pack, and he was heading out. Jane turned and started back through the crowd, wanting to beat the man outside. He looked at his watch as he went, noting that he had two minutes left.

He was almost out the door when the blonde busty nightmare, he'd just acquired, came pushing her way toward him, with someone Jane could only assume was a bouncer. He shrugged in irritation as she pointed at him and quickly reached into his pocket removing two one dollar bills that he'd shoved in there earlier. He separated them and threw them on the ground.

"There!" he yelled, pointing at the money. "It's a hundred dollar bill! Two of them!"

Everyone directly around him looked where he was pointing and immediately starting shoving toward the bills. He turned and pushed through the crowd when two men shoved him roughly one after the other in their attempt to get to the money. He twisted his bad leg and let out a bark of pain, before noticing that his red tied gangster was almost out the door.

He limped out of the club, feeling the pain of his sprain as though it were fresh and was particularly gratified when he saw Lisbon coming to him from the van. Her face dropped when she noticed his limp was worse and she picked up her pace.

"What happened?" She ran up to him and put his arm over her shoulders.

He had to fight everything in him to not ham it up. "We have to hurry," Jane said nodding in the direction of red tie.

She didn't ask questions, knew immediately what he wanted, and helped him get into the van.

"What happened?" Abbott asked from the front passenger seat.

"We need to follow the guy in the black suit and red tie," Lisbon told Fischer, who was behind the wheel, just as the man got in his car and pulled out of the club's parking lot.

Fischer immediately did as she was instructed, throwing the van into gear and pulling into traffic.

* * *

After half an hour of following red tie around the city, Wiley identified him as Kevin Mead. They stopped in front of a four story brick building in the outskirts of D.C. and watched as Kevin made his way inside. Jane cringed as he noted the two women who proceeded Kevin inside, then shook his head.

"We won't be here long," he announced to the team.

"How could you possibly know that?" Fischer asked looking back at him.

"Don't ask him. That's what he wants you to do," Lisbon said, looking up from Jane's foot, which was resting in her lap with an instant icepack on it that she had thrown in her purse for just such occasions.

Fischer looked at her and smiled.

Jane glanced over at Lisbon and felt an overwhelming desire to kiss her. He would have done too, if he'd thought he could get away with it. Instead he got back on topic. "It's a whore house," he said. "I give him twenty minutes tops."

Abbott and Wiley both coughed back laughs. Lisbon rolled her eyes.

"You couldn't possibly know that," Fischer accused.

"Want to bet?" Cho said looking at Fischer, his watch hand raised.

Jane could hear Wiley tapping on his computer in the seat directly behind his.

Fischer shook her head. "No, not that—although I doubt Jane could guess something like that. I meant that he couldn't know it was a whore house."

"He's right," Wiley announced, "although they go by 'call girls' on their website."

"That's disgusting," Fischer said.

Jane looked at Lisbon and raised his brows; she mirrored the gesture with a grin and a shake of her head.

"But why twenty minutes?" Wiley asked.

Jane looked over his shoulder, noting that Cho had already moved on and had started reading a book. "This isn't a man with patience. I'd have given him less time than that if I thought he wasn't worried about ruining his suit. So ten minutes to change, five minutes to deal with money matters and…"

Lisbon swatted his shoulder, "Oh, stop."

He grabbed her hand and held it. She blushed, but didn't pull away and he reveled in it.

Abbott turned in his seat, amused smirk firmly in place. "So, what's this all about? Why are we following this guy?"

Jane was quite impressed with Abbott's patience thus far. Jane had kept his suspicions quiet until now, wanting to confirm some of his theories first. He was willing to share some of them now as a reward. Abbott had really gone to bat for him, even arguing with Don about his methods and had insisted that Jane be allowed to do what he would, stating that otherwise there was no point in having the team here in the first place.

Don hadn't liked it one bit, but the Director of the FBI was breathing down his neck and further had the added pressure of being responsible for the five extra teams that were called in to work the case. Jane had been sure that Don was about to send them back to Austin, which he was just fine with, when Abbott convinced him to allow their team to work separate, telling him that he could call them his wild card.

Don gave in and looked at Lisbon informing her that if it hadn't been for Pike's insistence that she and Jane were the people for the job, he would've have sent them away. Jane had been very proud of how she'd handled that. She was completely calm and in control—on the outside. Only Jane could have guessed what she was truly feeling. Although Jane had the sneaking suspicion that Abbott might be aware of it too.

Abbott had had his back and he felt he owed him something. "Don's teams are going about this the wrong way. These men are smart, and from what I read in the case files…"

"Excuse me," Lisbon said, "who read the case files?"

Abbott chuckled.

"And from what Lisbon related to me from the case files," Jane continued as though Lisbon hadn't said anything, but rubbed his thumb over the top of her hand, "these murders are deeply entrenched in several areas of crime in the D.C. area. Thefts, murders, prostitution, drug deals—even Pike's team is linked to this. Whoever is responsible for the murders is very cunning. Smart enough to out and kill five undercover agents. He's like a virus in this city and there's only going to be one way to heal it."

Lisbon chuckled. "Inject him with an antibody?"

"Exactly," he said looking at Lisbon, the urge to kiss her returning to the fore.

"And how exactly to you propose we do that?" Abbott asked. "We don't even know who's in charge."

He pulled his gaze from Lisbon and placed it back on safe territory: Abbott's face. "We will know soon though, I'd dare say by tomorrow morning. After that we'll need to threaten everything he's worked for, and do it right under his nose."

Abbott's brow furrowed. "Don's had men trying to find the ring leader for months and you're going to do it in twenty-four hours?"

Jane was insulated. "Yes."

"Look," Fischer announced as Kevin came out of the building.

"Cho," Jane said, offense immediately forgotten, "time?"

Cho looked at his watch. "Twenty-one minutes."

Jane hummed. "Someone took his time." He looked over at Lisbon and winked.

"Wow, you nailed it Jane," Wiley said.

Cho chuckled. "Nailed it?"

Jane and Lisbon both looked back at him and smiled.

* * *

Kevin went home after that and most of the team managed some shut eye. Jane and Lisbon took the first watch, Cho and Wiley the second and Abbott and Fischer the third. When it was his turn for sleep, he instead turned his attention to Lisbon. Mouthing "I love you," before she too, drifted off, with a soft smile in place. Jane had been irritated then that they weren't on a bench seat, but at least he'd gotten to hold her hand.

Kevin was up again and on his way by seven in the morning, but he hadn't the heart to wake Lisbon and let her sleep, and Cho, as Fischer followed him to a what appeared to be a very expensive hotel. Only limos and million dollar cars were pulling in and were driven by people dressed to the nines. Large potted plants hung from the overhang giving the gray building boosts of purples, greens, yellows and pinks as well as several stained glass windows in golds, greens and reds, and bell boys in red suits with gold trim on the lapels were greeting the guests with the enthusiasm of one who expected a hundred dollar tip. Kevin parked across the street and stopped at the door, clearly waiting for something.

"Doesn't really seem like he fits in here," Abbott observed.

Jane tapped his finger to his lips. "No, it doesn't."

They watched for a few more minutes when a man, who was clearly a guest at the hotel, with dark thick hair combed neatly to one side, wearing a double breasted suit with a dark blue tie, came out and briefly spoke with red tie. Kevin very clearly received instructions and headed back to his car. Jane was surprised when the man that Kevin had spoken with stayed and waited until Kevin was in his car before going back into the building.

"Who is he?" Abbott asked.

A moment later Wiley informed them. "His name's Jacob Brown. He owns this hotel and several others, also several other businesses around town."

Fischer was about to follow Kevin when Jane noted a woman leaving the hotel.

"Wait," Jane said reaching out and touching Fischer's shoulder. "Don't follow him."

That caught everyone's attention.

Abbott was the first to speak. "Why not?"

"We need to get rooms at the nearest hotel, four should suffice," Jane told them.

"I'm on it," Wiley chimed in from the back.

"Four?" Fischer questioned? "There's six of us."

"That's right, only four of us will be staying there," he saw both Abbott's and Fischer's faces drop, but continued. "We need to go shopping."

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**A/N: I hope you enjoyed this chapter! It will start to resemble Rear Window more in the next chapter. Reviews are always appreciated.**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: I'm sorry this took longer than a week. I actually had it done on Saturday, but was staying at a resort in St. George, Utah, for a family reunion and they didn't have free wifi. I know shocking. I've never heard of a hotel without free wifi. On principle, I refused to pay the ridiculous amount of money for wifi to those money grubbers and hence the chapter is late. Sorry!**

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Chapter 3

"I feel like I work for The Men in Black," Cho said pulling at the sleeves of his brand new black suit.

Jane chuckled. "Well, you sort of do. Only the aliens you worked with aren't from outer space." He tilted his head, "Although, I suppose the aliens from outer space could be considered illegal…"

"How the hell did I get talked into this," Cho asked Jane as he moved the wheel chair he'd gotten for him inside the majestic Princeton Hotel to the door of the limo Jane was getting out of.

"Come on," Jane said as he moved into the wheelchair with a grunt, "when was the last time you stayed in a five star hotel, in the nation's capitol, and on the FBI nonetheless?"

Cho pushed Jane, in his brand new dark gray suit _with_ matching vest, toward the reception desk. "Never, and who says I ever wanted to?"

Jane had to admit, even if not to Cho, that he did have a point. The hotel was above and beyond opulent with marble floors, walls and ceilings and a fountain in the lobby. There were several red and green, horribly uncomfortable looking couches and even statues. It did not scream comfort to him. However, the website did boast suites with all the amenities, garden paths and a large pool area, even card keys for the elevators. Jane wasn't sure how long they'd have to be here, but he hoped a week would be enough.

"Leave the sunglasses on," Jane whispered to Cho before they stopped.

Cho's jaw tightened, but he lowered his hand sans glasses and crossed his arms. Jane pushed himself into a standing position and leaned against the counter, carefully resting his weight on his good foot. The receptionist had his back to him and Jane made sure to plaster on his best business face before he turned.

"Good afternoon, sir." The receptionist wore a badge proclaiming his name Josh. "How are you today?"

"Very well, Josh," Jane said. "I have a reservation under Patrick Stewart."

Josh pulled him up on his computer. "Yes, here you are. It looks like you will be staying in the Presidential Suite?" Josh visibly perked up. It was no surprise to Jane based on the amount a night the FBI would be dishing out for this room.

Jane nodded. "It has two rooms? My bodyguard here, Kimball," Jane nodded over his shoulder, "is very territorial about his space."

Josh smiled at that, then looked at Cho and immediately stopped smiling. Jane repressed a chuckle before the young man looked back at him uncertainly. "Yes, sir. It looks like we have you booked for the week?"

"For now," Jane said feigning boredom as he looked down at his watch. "I read on your website that you have card keys for the elevators?"

Josh grabbed two card keys and handed them to him. "Yes, sir. They are the same as your room key and will ensure your total privacy."

"Excellent." Jane shoved one in his pocket and handed the other back to Cho, not even bothering to look at him. "However, I am expecting several business associates over the week and Kimball is expecting his, uh…sisters."

"Certainly, not a problem," Josh rushed to assure him. "We'll just need their names and they can get guest card keys when they come in."

"Well, that's the thing," Jane leaned forward and lowered his voice conspiratorially, "my guests need to have absolute anonymity, all of them, but Kimball's sisters more so. Do you catch my meaning?" Jane heard Cho clear his throat as he slipped five hundred dollars over the counter to Josh. "It's important for my business, you understand?"

Josh pocketed the money. "Yes sir, if you'll simply call down to the front desk when you're expecting them with a description of their appearances I'll scan them up for you."

Jane slapped the counter. "What a man."

* * *

The hotel had extensive security—security cameras, guards, alarms more than any normal hotel would have, and they simply passed it off as protection for their VIP guests. Jane had another theory. Wiley had successfully hacked into their security cameras and Jane and Cho had packed extra luggage to carry all the computer screens they were planning on setting up in the room.

Neither he nor Cho spoke as they made their way to the room and while Jane would have liked to have said it was because neither of them wanted to risk being overheard, the real reason was because Cho was mad. As soon as Jane was safely wheeled into the room, and the bell boy who had followed behind with a trolley carrying their seven large suitcases into the room before departing with a large tip from Jane, Cho turned on Jane.

"Why'd you say that Lisbon and Fischer were prostitutes?"

"Actually, I said they were your sisters," Jane corrected him.

Cho took his glasses off and placed his hands on his hips.

"Okay, I was implying they were 'call girls'," Jane tried to placate. "That's much classier, don't you think?"

"Lisbon's going to kill you. Fischer's going to help and I'm not going to stop them," Cho said moving around the large living space of the suite. Jane gave the room a cursory glance himself. It was much more comfortable than the lobby had suggested it would be. There was a hall that lead to the common area, which would come in handy for privacy in case someone ordered room service. The common room had two large cream colored couches over a decorative rug and both couches looked very comfortable. It had a full bar, a large T.V. and a huge arrangement of purple and white flowers sat in the middle of the room. A large balcony with a fire place sat off the common room and two bedrooms bordered either side as well. It was bigger than the bullpen back in Austen.

"I'm testing a hunch. That's part of it," Jane explained. "Besides, we have to explain their presence on a frequent basis and this works better for the overall plan. They'll forgive me."

Cho stopped his scrutiny of the suite and looked at Jane again. "Which is what? What's the plan, Jane? What are we doing here?"

"Right now, I imagine that you'll be setting up the screens for our viewing pleasure," Jane said wheeling himself to where he could better see Cho's face. Cho's jaw clenched. "I'll take that as a yes, in which case I will be taking a nap in my very large, very expensive room." He turned his chair and wheeled himself toward the room that appeared the largest. "And I will complain if my sheets aren't satin."

"The clothes you told them to buy don't scream prostitute," Cho informed Jane.

"No," Jane said wheeling his chair around to look at Cho once more, "but they do scream 'call girl.' Wake me when the cameras are up."

* * *

Jane found that he was much more exhausted than he had expected he would be and fell asleep on cotton sheets that were so high in thread count he decided to let it slide that they weren't satin. He wasn't sure how long he slept, but woke when he felt the bed give under the weight of another body. He opened his eyes just in time to see Lisbon and smile as she lowered her lips to his. She gave him a quick, but perfectly sweet kiss before pulling only far enough away to make eye contact.

"How's your ankle?" she whispered.

"It hurts a little," he told her honestly.

"And your stomach?"

"Empty as I suspect Kevin's head is."

She kissed him again. "And your love life?"

"At the moment?" He raised his brows at her and she mimicked him. "Looking hopeful."

She smiled. "Anything else bothering you?"

He smirked, then nodded. "Who are you?"

"Let's see if I can help you remember." She kissed his right cheek. "Teresa." She kissed his left cheek. "Freeman?" That was the last name he'd given her "character." She kissed him full on the lips, and leaned into him. He responded immediately, wrapping his arms around her back to hold her close to him. He was about to roll and bring her under him when she pulled away, much to his disappointment, and made eye contact with a mischievous grin. "Call girl, extraordinaire."

He felt his eyes widen.

She pulled away and moved off the bed.

"So, Cho ratted me out, huh?" It wasn't until she was a few feet from him that he noticed her apparel. She had obviously taken his advice to heart and looked just how he hoped she would. He went up on an elbow to better take her in. She was wearing a white, fitted business skirt that stopped just above her knees, with a thin, black belt. She wore black wedge high heels, and a dark purple, silky button down blouse that was unbuttoned just far enough that you could see the top of her black, lace bra, but still buttoned high enough that you might just think she missed a button.

Her hair was curled in waves just like a movie star from the fifties and she wore a pearl necklace and earrings. And to top it off—red lipstick. He smiled at the thought that those luscious red lips had just been pressed against his, and shivered when he realized that he probably had red lipstick on his lips and cheeks now. He found it incredibly sexy that she had marked him.

She saw his appraisal and slowly turned for him. "Do I look the part?"

He swallowed. "Holy hell."

She laughed. "I'll take that as a 'yes'."

He sat up, swinging his legs off the bed in the process, and reached for her. He pulled her between his legs and looked up at her. "I don't think I can let you leave this room," he told her.

She shook her head. "Now don't get any crazy ideas. Nothing is going to happen between us with Cho in the other room."

He wrapped his arms around her waist, resting their weight on her hips. "That's not what I meant. I can't have you walking through the lobby like this. Someone might see you."

She furrowed her brow, smirk still in place. "Wasn't that the point?"

"It was. Not anymore! What if someone propositions you?" His brilliant plan was becoming less and less brilliant the more he thought about it.

"I'm not actually a call girl, Jane…" She wrapped her arms lightly around his neck.

"Patrick," he corrected her. That was a habit that he realized would take time to break her of, which he didn't mind seeing as they now had all the time in the world.

"Patrick," she conceded. "If someone says something, I'll tell them I'm not taking any more clients."

Jane felt his heart pounding in his chest. "No. Tell them you're exclusive."

She pushed some curls off his forehead. "Teresa Lisbon FBI may be exclusive," she said and he stopped breathing, "but Teresa Freeman, call girl? Definitely not."

"And here Cho thought you were going to kill me," he told her, not liking one bit that she seemed to be enjoying Teresa Freeman. She hadn't even scolded him. She pulled away and he narrowed his eyes at her. She was playing with him.

"Speaking of Cho," she said going to his wheel chair and pushing it around. "He has the surveillance set up."

She stopped the wheel chair in front of him then reached for his hands, helping him to stand.

"I'd rather do my own surveillance in here with you," he told her.

She gasped and covered her mouth with the back of her hand. "Patrick Stewart! I never."

"You think you're so funny," he said as he sat in the wheel chair.

She nodded. "Yes, I do."

He opened his mouth to continue protesting, but his stomach growled beating him to the punch.

She leaned down and pecked him on the lips. "I ordered room service too."

"You did?" he asked surprised by the sweet gesture. "What did you order?"

"Sandwiches. I think the kitchen is more accustomed to steak and fish orders, but I thought you'd prefer a sandwich."

"Thank you," he said in a slightly high voice. "I missed you."

She smiled. "We've only been a part for a few hours."

"It's not the same. We've had every night since the plane alone until now," he said.

"That's sweet."

He grabbed her hand and put it up to his cheek, nuzzling her palm. "I have a lot of lost time to make up for."

Lisbon bit back a smile and rounded his chair to the back, then pushed him out of the room.

The flowers that had been sitting in the middle of the coffee table between the two couches in the common room, had been removed and placed off to the side on the floor and were replaced by eight screens. Each screen was cut into six individual screens giving them two different angles of each of the six floors, and several other shots of the lobby, bar, pool, gardens, all the exits and the kitchen. He had hoped that they'd be able to have one person on the screens at all times, but he was starting to think that during the day they'd need at least two people.

That complicated things somewhat.

After they finished eating, Jane, Cho, and Lisbon sat on the couch and watched the screens. Jane was inordinately pleased when, despite Cho's presence, Lisbon leaned against him and stuck her arm through one of his. It hadn't even bothered Jane when Cho had made a strange gurgled noise in his throat. He was sure he'd get used to them eventually. He didn't really think that Lisbon would do something so demonstrative in front of anyone else on the team, so Cho would get lots of practice watching them be a couple.

"How much more difficult is it to read people on screen than real life?" Cho said after a few minutes of watching people walking in, out and around the hotel.

Jane smiled and looked over the top of Lisbon's head that was resting on his shoulder and at Cho who was reclining against the back of the couch. "It's really not that different. Perhaps I can't see their faces as well, but I can read their body language just fine."

Lisbon lifted her head and made eye contact. "All right then, go ahead."

Jane repressed a smirk. "Go ahead and what?"

Lisbon rolled her eyes. "Read the body language of the guests."

"And if I do, what do I get?" he asked, voice laced with innuendo.

"Well, I was thinking…" Lisbon started.

"Right here, guys," Cho cut in. "I'm still right here."

Jane had to suppress a laugh. He knew that Cho was still trying to figure them out and they were not helping him by any means. He and Lisbon had always had a quick banter with one another and now that they were dating that banter had turned into flirtation of the highest degree and that's what Cho was struggling with. Jane thought Cho secretly would prefer to just walk in on them making out, thinking that somehow that'd be less threatening and or awkward than their words. Jane hoped to prove him wrong on that count someday.

He looked at the screens and started pointing. "The couple about to get on the elevator are newlyweds, the young lady at the swimming pool with all the men around her is a dancer and would need to be to dance around all those suitors, the woman in the elevator has a small dog stashed in her purse, the pianist in the bar has this job for now to pay bills until he is able to write music people will buy, and the woman in the booth is currently trying to drown her hearts loneliness with red wine."

Cho scooted forward on the couch and looked at the monitors, trying to see what Jane had just laid out, but Lisbon wasn't so easily convinced.

She scrunched her brow. "Oh please…"

"You doubt me?" Jane asked faking a hurt expression. He pointed to the couple who had been waiting at the elevator, as they now stepped off the elevator and onto their floor followed by a bell boy. When they reached their room the young man opened the door and then proceed to lift the young woman and carry her over the threshold.

Jane chuckled. "I doubt we'll be seeing them again anytime soon."

"How'd you know?" Cho asked.

"The bride kept looking at her ring finger," Jane explained, then looked at Lisbon with apparent desire, "and she would blush every time her husband would look at her."

Lisbon smiled and shook her head. "Okay, so you guessed one right, big deal."

Jane scrunched his brow in earnest now. "After all these years, and you're still doubting me? Well, rest assured, we have several hours ahead for my theories to pan out."

Lisbon smiled and leaned into Jane before planting a soft quick kiss on his lips. "Good, this'll be fun."

"Jane, look," Cho said as he pointed to one of the monitors.

Both he and Lisbon looked where he was pointing and saw Jacob Brown enter the hotel, followed by a Senator that Jane recognized from some barely covered up scandal in Philadelphia, another man Jane had seen in one of the photographs in the file on the case, two other men that he didn't recognize and three women, each dressed very similarly to how he'd told Lisbon she should dress.

"And it starts," Jane announced with a large grin.

* * *

**A/N: So now you see how Rear Window is set up, next chapter will bring on some action. Thanks for reading. Reviews are always appreciated! **


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Sorry for the wait. My cousin had her tonsils out and I've been staying with her to help her and her boys while she recovers. I meant to work on this while I was with her, but she's watching the show for the first time all the way through and I stupidly forgot to bring my box sets with me. We ended up watching on my computer. Haha. I figured you'd forgive me since it's late for a good cause-turning someone else into a life long fan. ;)**

**Also a big thank you to Phoenixx2812 for the awesome cover she made for this story. If you haven't already found her story, Endgame, check it out. It's brilliant. You won't be sorry you did. **

**Finally, I just wanted to say a thank you to everyone who has reviewed. Your reviews are awesome and encourage me to keep going, so thank you! I normally respond to them all, but life has been crazy busy. Regardless I want you all to know how much they are appreciated and I'll do my best to respond from here on out. **

* * *

Chapter 4

It'd been years since Jane had sat under a cabana, in swim trunks nonetheless, and he had to admit it was nice. The cabana was large and sat back and away from the pool and was sectioned off for privacy. It had a large screen t.v. and bed directly under the cabana and just outside of it was two very large lounge chairs, each big enough to comfortably fit two people.

The pool looked refreshing and inviting and if it hadn't been for his sprained ankle he would have happily gone for a swim. As it was he sat with his foot propped up and a computer on his lap. He felt somewhat content, however, to be soaking in the sun, even if he had to pretend he was a businessman. It was really no stretch for him, acting like a successful businessman, but he had to admit that even pretending was boring. At least the subject material on the computer wasn't bland.

The computer served two functions. First it made it easy for Jane to appear as though he were a hard working and second it had been set up to give him the hotel camera's view of the lobby, bar and the top floor—his floor, which also happened to be the floor that one of the men Jane had seen with Jacob Brown last night was staying on. The man still hadn't been identified, but he figured he must be important as he was frequently deferred to and given his choice of any of the three call girls to take to his room that night.

He had been glad that at that point, around three in the morning, Lisbon had fallen fast asleep in his room. The girl the man had chosen was the youngest and he had seen Lisbon visibly bristle when they realized earlier that the girl couldn't have been more than twenty-two at the best. An hour later Cho had gone to his room leaving Jane to watch the cameras alone.

He figured it was only fair since he hardly ever slept anyway and because he'd already had a nap. It ended up being a lot more difficult than he thought though. The hotel was dead and the thought of Lisbon's peek-a-boo bra and red lipstick made it really hard for him to focus. It was around nine when he'd seen the young call girl come out of the man's suite in a swimsuit.

He'd woken Cho, yelled into his room that it was his turn to watch the cameras, and then had happily wheeled back to his room to wake Lisbon. She had fallen asleep fully dressed and on top of the covers. He'd felt a pang of guilt that he hadn't checked on her earlier that night. Frustrated with himself that he'd not made sure she had something comfortable to sleep in and that the covers were pulled up over her sleeping form. He tried to make up for it by sitting on the edge of the bed and waking her slowly with soft kisses.

She'd mumbled into his mouth, but had eventually returned his kisses with much more fervor than he'd originally intended. She'd pulled him flush against her chest and had run her fingers through his hair. It'd been the first time he'd ever woken her and he immediately decided he'd have to wake her this way every day. This idea became more appealing when she'd started unbuttoning his vest and shirt.

If it hadn't been for his blasted foot getting twisted when he'd lifted himself away from her so she could push his shirt off, they might still be in bed right now. He felt himself groan deep in his throat at the thought and had to shift on his lounger that had suddenly become very uncomfortable. If her sudden realization of where they were and who was in the other room hadn't killed the mood, he was sure his yelp of pain had.

He looked around the pool and spotted the call girl that had left his floor mate's room earlier sitting in a cabana adjacent to his. She'd been sunbathing most the morning, but was now wrapping a sarong around her waist as she made her way to the bar. Jane cringed. It wasn't even noon yet and she was already on her fifth drink.

He looked down at his laptop and searched for Teresa, and was disappointed that she wasn't on her way yet. He had given her some of the money from their allowance and had sent her down to a store in the lobby to buy a swimsuit. She hadn't been crazy about the idea, but when he'd explained his reasoning to her she'd reluctantly agreed.

He scanned the pool area one more time and decided to go talk to the girl now. He shut the small laptop and grabbed the crutch that Cho had procured for him from the receptionist, before hobbling over to the bar. The girl sat quietly, staring resignedly at a fruity concoction the bartender had given her.

Jane sat on the barstool two down from her, leaned his crutches against the counter, and ordered a piña colada. After ordering he turned and faced her in his chair. "Hello there," he said with a smile.

She startled, then composed herself and looked in his direction.

Jane spoke again before she could. "What kind of drink do you have there? It looks good."

She snorted. "'What kind of drink?' Well, that's a first."

Jane held his smile firmly in place even as his throat dropped to his stomach. Horrific would be the perfect word to describe the fact that she immediately assumed he was making a pass at her.

He played dumb. "What do you mean 'a first'?"

She looked down at her drink again, rueful smile in place, and shook her head. "When a man like _you_ talks to a girl like _me_—in this hotel, it's because he's looking for company." She swiveled her straw around in her drink. "But as of last night I am exclusive."

"I'm not looking for company."

A predatory smile crossed her face and she turned in his direction, slowly crossing her legs for his perusal. "Well then, what can I do for you?"

This was a girl who knew how to work it. She was tall and thin, but healthy, with long brown hair that went to the small of her back and light green eyes. She wore a lime green swimsuit and had a beautiful smile, but it wasn't real.

"So you're not a guest then?" he asked.

Her smile held, but her eyes darkened somewhat. "No, but I'm staying with a guest."

"Yes, the man you're staying with, he looks very familiar," Jane said just before the bartender dropped off his drink. Jane told him to bill it to his room and the bartender left.

She flipped her hair over her shoulder. "Jason Gibbs, he's Jacob Brown's business partner."

"Jacob Brown? As in the man who owns this hotel?"

She nodded. "That's right."

Jane looked in the direction of the bartender, and once he was sure the man couldn't hear he leaned toward the girl and whispered conspiratorially. "So, how does it work for you call girls then?" he asked. "Does he bring you in for all the guests or just the special ones?"

She chuckled. It was forced. "I guess you could say just the special ones."

Jane nodded, leaned back, and pretended to mull this over a little.

She spoke after a moment. "Are you sure you're not looking for company?"

Jane stayed facing forward, but turned his head in her direction and smirked. "Me? Oh, no. I don't pay for sex."

"Oh please," she mocked, "that's an old-fashioned idea if ever I heard one—every man pays for sex, in one way or other, at least once in his life."

Jane felt the urge to break cover and explain just how wrong she was. He'd never once received sex as compensation for anything. Not for money, or good behavior, or even for cooking a mouthwatering meal. He'd learned at a young age to be careful what you trade for, and that, above all, included sex. He forced down his frustration for her. "If that's the case then I feel compelled to tell you that I'm sure I couldn't afford you."

She sat a little taller, almost preening. "You _couldn't_ afford me."

"What's your name?" he asked.

"Allie, and yours?"

"I'm Patrick." He faced her again. "Tell me, Allie, what's a beautiful girl like you doing with a man like that?"

"A _wealthy_ man like that…," she told him in a very quiet voice.

"I'm sure there are other men who are just as wealthy if not more and probably a lot better in bed than Gibbs," he told her with a flirtatious smirk. He left out that there were also men out there closer to her age, who would treat her right and love her.

She laughed out loud. "Is that so?"

"Yes, it is," he said becoming very serious.

Her face fell and there was an awkward moment of silence before she spoke again. "I probably shouldn't be talking to you." At that she stood up.

"Please, don't leave on my account," Jane said.

She grabbed a napkin and wrote something on it before handing it to him. "This is the number for my agency, if you change your mind while you're here." She was back in work mode. "It was interesting meeting you, Patrick," she said his name in a flirty tone.

"Likewise Allie," he replied as she started to leave. "Oh, wait," he called after her. She turned and looked at him, one brow raised. "You never told me what your drink was?"

She let out a surprised chuckle. "It's a strawberry daiquiri."

* * *

After ordering a strawberry daiquiri for himself Jane headed back to his cabana, carrying the drinks in one hand and holding the crutch for support with the other. It was slow going, but he didn't mind using the time to think. He was glad that he had a name to give Wiley for the unidentified man, and was already forming a plan to help Allie get away from this life. He knew he'd have to keep that to himself and Lisbon, because the last thing the Director of the FBI, Don's teams, or Abbott would care about during this case, with five dead cops to avenge, was the life of a young girl.

He was deep in thought when he approached his cabana and saw a shapely pair of legs in platform high heels lying on one of the loungers out front of his cabana. The closer he got the more was reveled up to a curvy torso and chest, covered in a black halter top bathing suit, long brown locks of hair that covered attractive shoulders and a large black hat that looked just like the one Lisbon had worn the day they'd arrested Avery Shultz in Houston for the murder of Charles Whitaker.

A painful and persistent thumping in his chest nearly caused him to spill both his strawberry daiquiri and Lisbon's piña colada, as he limped awkwardly closer. Lisbon looked up and gave him a nervous smile just as he was about to round the front of the cabana. She saw his plight and quickly got up to meet him. He was pleased to see her eyes roam over his chest before she looked anywhere but…

She was a vision. Sure he'd seen her in cute little dresses and he had been teasing her a lot lately with innuendos and strong undercurrent of desire, he hadn't actually gotten as far as picturing her with so little clothes on. He supposed he was so overwhelmed by the fact that he even got to hold her or kiss her, lie next to her on a bed, that his brain hadn't quite gotten that far yet. Which was weird because he'd definitely thought, in passing, about having sex with her—especially when she'd been pushing his shirt off this morning. The reality that was Lisbon, however, was much more powerful than anything his clearly pathetic brain had dreamt up for him.

She stopped in front of him and reached out. "Jane…" she started.

"I'm going to marry you," he said vehemently, cutting her off before she could finish her thought. She blushed crimson from head to toe and her outstretched hands dropped.

"We have company," she said, nodding over her shoulder.

He looked behind her and into the cabana just as Abbott stepped out from its cover, followed by Marcus Pike. Pike swallowed hard and stuck his hands in his suit pockets.

"Jane," Pike said.

Jane's brow furrowed. "Pike?"

Both Abbott and Pike were dressed in nice business suits and Pike was even carrying a suitcase.

Abbott looked around the pool area, then between the two men and nodded back under the cabana where there were walls and more privacy. "Let's talk in there."

Pike shot a pained glance in Lisbon's direction before he lead the way back into the cabana. Abbott quirked an eyebrow at Jane, before following Pike. Jane looked down at Lisbon and handed her the piña colada he'd brought her. She took it as he knew she would, because it would give her something to focus on other than him and Pike, then he sat his own drink down on the bar. He was pleasantly surprised when she grabbed his arm and helped support his weight, despite the fact that he had a crutch, and that Pike was there.

He had to fight every instinct in him to keep a hold of her once they were inside and she stepped out of his reach. He wanted to stake his claim, but he knew he couldn't do that to her. This had to be hard enough as it was and he'd already, even if unwittingly, made it worse after blurting out his desire to marry her after giving her what he was sure was a very lustful gaze from head to toe and back again.

"Agent Pike was kind enough to offer his services for this case…" Abbott started.

Jane wasn't happy with this turn of events, but could see the logic in it. "No need to explain Dennis. It makes perfect sense. We needed more men and we can safely assume that most agents in D.C. have had their covers blown already. Pike is new in town, which means his identity is more than likely still safely anonymous."

Jane tried to ignore the fact that Lisbon's attention was torn between him and Pike, that Pike was clearly determined to at some point try and change her mind, and that he was actually worried that Pike might succeed.

Pike made eye contact with him. "Thank you for doing this, Jane," he said sincerely. "I honestly wasn't sure you would, but after seeing how you solved the Hennigan case for my team in Austin and after hearing Teresa go on about what a good man you were I hoped you would. These agents deserve justice."

Jane saw Lisbon look pointedly at her drink before biting on her straw. He hadn't wanted to take this case, had been mandated here by Abbott. And for once as much as he would've liked to own up to being a good man, because Lisbon had said he was, he knew what she needed more was for him to be honest.

"I wish I could say I was here because I wanted to help, but I can't." He rubbed thumb over the side of his index finger and looked at the ground for a moment. "I'm here because this is where the job brought me. Still, I can promise I'll do my best to catch the people responsible. As a matter-of-fact I should be working right now and you should probably be relieving Cho." He turned to Lisbon. "You want to take Pike and Abbott up to the room?"

She swallowed thickly, but nodded. "You don't want to come up to?" She gave him a curious look, then realized who else was there and explained for their benefit. "Won't anyone watching think it's suspicious that the men you're supposed to be conducting business with are up in your room while you're down here at the pool?"

Jane held back a smile. He'd known exactly what she'd been thinking, but preening over how smart and cute she was right now would get him a punch in the nose. "I just need to make a reservation in the restaurant, then I'll head up."

Lisbon nodded then handed Jane her drink and started toward the front of the cabana and Pike made to follow when Abbott spoke. "I'll be up in a minute, Lisbon," Abbott said. "I need to speak with Jane."

She looked at Jane quickly and he tried to give her a reassuring smile. She smiled back, but it didn't reach her eyes, then looked at Abbott. "Yes sir."

Jane swallowed thickly then spoke again, stopping them both Lisbon and Pike once more. "Take his arm," Jane instructed. He saw a moment of hesitation in Lisbon's green eyes, before she grabbed Pike's arm and led him out of the cabana. He purposely avoided looking at Pike, by setting the piña colada down on the table next to the lounger.

He didn't look up again until they were out of earshot. When he did look up he felt decidedly ill as he watched Lisbon escort Pike around the pool, laughing coyly and flipping her hair over her shoulder as they went. The moment she was out of sight he turned on Abbott. "You gonna give me a lecture now? Remind me that we're on a case and that I need to keep my head in the game?"

"No need. You just did it for me," Abbott said with a smirk. He moved to the bar where Jane had sat his strawberry daiquiri and picked it up. He moved to one of loungers and sat down before taking a swig of Jane's drink. "This is delicious, what is it?"

"Strawberry daiquiri," Jane frowned as he looked down at Lisbon's drink on the table.

Abbott took another swig. "Have a seat, Jane," he pointed to lounger next to Jane.

Jane rolled back on his good heel, then after having a thought made his way back into the cabana on his crutch to grab the laptop he'd left there, before returning to take the seat across from Abbott. As much as he hated to admit it, he was curious about what the man was up to.

"Any guesses on what this is about?" Abbott asked.

"Either you have a concern about the case or you're interested in giving Pike another shot at Lisbon," Jane grumbled at the same time he opened the laptop.

Abbott raised his brows. "I don't have a problem with how you're handling the case—so far."

Jane looked up from the computer and scowled at Abbott.

"Relax, Patrick," Abbott said before Jane could protest. "My intention wasn't to give Pike another shot. If I thought the man had a chance I'd have gone with them. As far as I'm concerned the only person keeping you in line and working is Lisbon. I like you Jane, but not enough to interfere in your love life. My involvement was strictly a professional necessity."

Jane shrugged. He'd figured that was the case from the start. "So why send them up alone?" he asked and watched Abbott's face. "Ah, you think Lisbon needs to test her mettle."

"She's still beating herself up about it, and they are bound to be alone at some point during this case, maybe even more than once," Abbott sat the drink down and leaned forward resting his elbows on his knees. "And that man is head over heels in love with her. The sooner she shuts him down, the better and easier it'll be throughout the duration of this case."

Jane glanced down at the screens just in time to see Lisbon and Pike step onto the elevator. Lisbon was still playing the role of call girl and his gut clenched when he watched Pike's arm go around her back.

Jane looked back at Abbott's amused face and was equally angry and impressed with the man's thought process. Angry that he'd put Lisbon in such an uncomfortable situation and impressed because he knew Abbott was right, provided Lisbon had really given herself to being in a relationship with him a hundred percent. He'd spent almost every waking moment with her since they'd first kissed and while he felt confident that she was happy with him, he'd remembered hearing her cry in the shower the night they'd gotten home from Florida after having called Pike to break things off.

She had really cared about Pike, loved him, and no doubt hated herself for the hurt she'd caused. If nothing else came out of them working on this case, Jane was certain that Lisbon would be making some life changing decisions that would no doubt affect not only her, but him and Pike as well.

He lifted his drink and took a sip, as he watched Pike lower his hand to the small of Lisbon's bare back and guide her from the elevator and to the presidential suite. He cringed at the super sweet coconuty flavor of the piña colada, remembering he'd never liked them. That had never been his drink. It was Lisbon's. "I hope you're right," Jane told him the moment the door closed, blocking his view of his torment.

"She loves you," Abbott said in an assuring voice.

"She loves Pike," Jane mumbled taking a long pull of Lisbon's drink. He slammed the laptop closed again.

Abbott chuckled. "Well then, why don't you just do us all a favor and marry her. Even without your little outburst, a moment ago, it's clear that's what you want."

"I shouldn't even say the word marriage around her. Commitment scares her," Jane said as he sat the now empty glass down on the ground next to the foot of the lounger.

"No it doesn't," Abbott said with a perplexed expression.

Jane looked up and scrunched his brow at being second guessed. "You don't know her past relationships."

"She was ready to move to D.C. with Pike," Abbott stood up and buttoned his suit coat. "And she stayed with you for years despite the hell you, undoubtedly, put her through."

"Hey…"

"I've only worked with you for a year, and trust me, you're no picnic," Abbott said. "If over ten years of working with you isn't a commitment, then I don't know what is. And now she's in love with you. I'm sure you'll be fine. Now let's go. I'm starved and want to order room service."

Jane scrutinized Abbott's face, and with a painful lurch in his gut he realized Abbott's true intention. "No, you don't want to leave Lisbon and Pike alone too long." Jane stood up and grabbed his crutch. Come to think of it, he didn't want to leave them alone too long either.

"I just don't think it'd be best to press our luck," Abbott confessed in a completely non-repentant tone. "Let's go."

* * *

**A/N: I'd love to know what you thought of the chapter. Thanks for reading! **


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

"Sir!" a panicked female voice called out from somewhere behind Jane, but Jane continued as though he hadn't heard a thing until he came into clear view of every table that sat in the hotel's restaurant. It was a little after noon and the restaurant was surprisingly empty. The piano man was dutifully playing Dean Martin's Everybody Loves Somebody, and Jane wondered how often he was required to play music from the rat pack. Frequently, would have been his guess in a hotel like this. Ms. Lonely Hearts sat in a booth nursing a fruity concoction and Jane felt a sudden burst of empathy for her. Aside from those two was Jacob Brown and Jason Gibbs.

He'd seen them on his laptop when he'd watched Lisbon and Pike make their way to his room before he headed here, which was precisely why he'd come.

"Sir," the voice said again, this time directly behind him, "I'm afraid that there is a dress code for the restaurant."

Jane turned and looked at the flustered hostess who was holding her arm up indicating he leave the restaurant as she made a quick nervous glance toward Brown and Gibbs.

Jane looked down at his bare chest with a towel draped around his neck, his swim trunks and flip flops, then leaned more heavily on his crutch. "Well, at least I'm not dripping," he told her making no move to leave.

He'd sent Dennis ahead of him up to the room and had given him the laptop, which made limping around on the crutch much more bearable.

The hostess gave him a tight grin and once more gestured to the door of the restaurant. "Regardless, I'm going to have to ask you to leave."

"Fair enough," he said raising his chin in an attempt to seem haughty, "but not until I see a menu."

She glanced over his shoulder again and this time he followed her gaze, meeting the eye of Jacob Brown. He held his gaze for a moment before turning and looking back at the hostess. "The menu?"

"I'm afraid I can't show you the menu in here while you're dressed this way. If you could change and come back down…"

"Nonsense," Jane said in a voice that was loud enough to be heard throughout the restaurant. "For the price I'm paying a night for the presidential suite, I can see the menu now."

Her face reddened and this time Jane could see her fighting the urge to look back at Brown again. Instead, she simply nodded. "Yes, sir. If you'll follow me to the front, where the menus are…"

Jane nodded and followed the fifteen feet to the front of the restaurant. She handed him a menu and he opened it, taking his time to peruse each item. After several minutes he looked up and the woman who now had a very harried expression on her face and smiled. "Lovely, I'd like to make a reservation for tomorrow at noon."

She went to the computer behind the counter where he stood. "Yes, sir. Can I get your name, please?"

"Stewart."

"Patrick," she asked, never taking her eyes off the computer.

"The one and only," he said.

As she continued typing he noticed someone enter the restaurant, but didn't realize who it was until she'd passed him. Allie made her way to the table where Brown and Gibbs sat, now dressed in a slinky dark green dress. She sat down next to Gibbs who promptly rubbed his hand over her butt and pulled her flush against his side.

"How many people will be in your party," the hostess asked.

"Four," Jane said without looking at her. This was a golden opportunity if ever he'd been given one. He'd wanted to get Brown's attention and Allie had given him the perfect impact. Now, instead of being just an annoying guest, he could be a threat. Even if not directly to Brown, being a threat to his partner was enough.

He kept his eye on Allie until she noticed him, then he smiled his full rakish smile and waved at her. She blushed and looked down, causing Gibbs to look up and at Jane for the first time. Jane held eye contact with Gibbs and watched as the man's face contorted in rage.

"You're all set, Mr. Stewart," the hostess told him. "We'll see you at noon."

He looked at her. "Thank you," he said before taking his leave.

* * *

"If you know what's good for you," Abbott told Jane the moment he stepped through the door, he'd obviously seen Jane coming and had headed him off in the hall of the suite, "You'll stay out of it."

Jane felt his brow furrow as he continued on in to the suite. It hadn't occurred to him to slow down and ask Abbott what he meant, his only thought of getting to Lisbon and wedging himself between her and Pike.

"What?" he asked belatedly as he entered the main room to find that Lisbon and Pike were no where t be seen. It'd didn't take long for him to figure it out though as he heard loud talking coming from behind his closed bedroom door. He came to an abrupt halt and Abbott came around front of him and shoved his hands in his pockets.

Jane barely noticed Wiley sitting on the couch with headphones on next to Cho, but at the moment it seemed wildly unimportant. Cho stood up and Jane could see his discomfort, see his jaw clenching. Wiley removed his headphones. He could hear muffled conversation coming from two voices who could be none other than Pike and Lisbon.

"How long have they been in there?" Jane asked.

Cho placed his hands on his hips. "They went in there the moment they got in the room."

Jane forced himself to take a deep breath then moved to sit on the couch.

Abbott breathed deep and followed.

Wiley smiled and waved at him. "Hi Jane."

"Hi," Jane replied.

There was an awkward silence in the room as Abbott and Cho both sat down and as the four men listened to the unintelligible voices speaking animatedly from the other room.

Jane had decades of practicing his poker face and was never more grateful for it than in this moment. His stomach was doing summersaults and the last time he'd felt this sick was when he was sitting in the holding cell at the airport before Lisbon had come in. He'd thought the days of worrying about whether he'd lost her were gone.

Jane suddenly couldn't take the silence anymore. "What are you listening too?" he asked pointing to the headset around Wiley's neck.

"Oh," Wiley's face lit up. "We set up microphone's in various locations throughout the hotel. Most of it will be unintelligible at first, but if we need to we can separate out conversations later.

Jane didn't really care, but tried to stay in the conversation regardless. "Is that legal?" he asked.

Abbott sighed and nodded. "We got a warrant for public areas…"

"Yes, but we can still get ears in rooms with this," Wiley held up something that looked like a little satellite, his excitement getting the better of him.

"We are capable, yes, but we'd need cause that we don't yet have," Abbott said giving Wiley a stern glare.

Jane sat up. "Wait," he said, "You mean we can listen through walls with that?"

Wiley smiled again. "Yeah, isn't that cool?"

Jane looked toward his room.

"Jane, no," Abbott said firmly.

Jane reached out a hand to Wiley. "Give me that."

Wiley quickly took his headphones off with a perplexed look on his face and handed them to Jane.

"Jane," Abbott protested, "you don't honestly think spying on Lisbon is a good idea?"

Cho leaned back into the cushions. "Sometimes I forget you've only been working with Jane for a year."

Jane started playing with the satellite looking device and Wiley helpfully took it from him, turned it on, and faced it toward the bedroom for Jane.

"That's not fair Teresa," Pike's voice said suddenly—clearly in Jane's ears.

"This is neither the time nor the place to be having this conversation," Lisbon responded.

Abbott leaned back in his chair. "Fine, it's your funeral."

"She's forgiven mush worse," Cho said quietly, earning a glare from Abbott.

"I'd argue that it's a much better place than over the phone," Marcus returned. "I think I deserved more than that."

There was a short silence before Lisbon responded. "You did—you do."

Jane's gut clenched.

"I don't want to make you uncomfortable, but I think you owe me an explanation," Pike continued, "I love you. I believed I was going to spend the rest of my life with you and then you dump me…hours, mind you, after accepting my proposal?"

"I'm sorry," came Lisbon's repentant voice. "I never meant to hurt you."

Jane heard the rustle of fabric and tried not to image what it might be from.

"I suppose that's why you didn't tell me about Jane? I mean, I assumed you changed your mind because of him…"

Jane's heart gave a painful thud. He'd just assumed that Lisbon had told Pike about him. He supposed it made sense that she'd keep that to herself to save Pike the pain of being left for another man and herself the embarrassment of appearing fickle, it stung that she hadn't.

"I hoped to spare you," Lisbon started.

"From hearing Jane proclaim his intention to marry you a week after we broke up? Do you love him?"

"Please…" she begged her voice straining from her hurt.

"Are you going to marry him?" Pike's voice was so soft, Jane barely heard him.

"No," she responded immediately. "I…"

Jane heard movement, the rustle of fabric, then Pike whispering, "I love you."

There was another moment of silence and Jane thought bitterly that he needn't be psychic to know what was going on. He then heard more noise, another rustling of fabric and then Lisbon's clear voice. "Stop," she said firmly. "If you want to talk about this later, not here, I'll be happy to, but you have to respect my wishes."

"As long as you agree to hear me out," Pike said loudly enough to hear clearly and with a little more enthusiasm than Jane was happy about.

"Fine," Lisbon replied and he could hear two sets of footsteps moving.

The door to the room opened, snapping Jane out of the scene he'd been imagining in the bedroom and bringing him abruptly back to the living room.

"Jane?" Lisbon said as he looked up and at her. "Wiley, what?" She was dressed now and Jane reminded himself that there was a bathroom in that room with a door that locked. No way she'd go as far as changing in front of Pike.

Jane pulled the earphones off and Wiley's head whipped in her direction. Her face fell when she realized what must have been happening as Wiley slowly slid the device down and behind the cushions, before turning away from her with a horrified expression.

Pike came around her just then and looked at the four men sitting in the room. "What's happening," he asked innocently. "What did we miss?"

Wiley leaned forward and dropped the device under the coffee table, before toeing it further under.

Jane made eye contact with Lisbon, and knew that he must have looked angry and while he was interested in figuring out what she was thinking, he didn't want to make a scene, so he looked away.

Abbott seemed to catch on and quickly jumped to answer Pike. "Wiley was just about to explain what he's set up."

Wiley smiled and pointed to the screens. "We had agents come in early this morning and place microphones throughout the hotel, it's not likely that we'll catch anything incriminating, but we're hoping that between those and the cameras we'll get an idea as to how to proceed. Right, Jane?"

Jane smiled at him. He hadn't given them the entire plan yet, which included some serious subterfuge that he hoped would cause Jacob Brown to feel threatened and to lash out, but he figured that explanation could come later. Much later. "That's right. Everything is falling into place. We just need to keep an eye on Jacob Brown and his business partner Jason Gibbs, and Allie…" Jane pointed to the screens at the three sitting in the restaurant where he'd just left them.

"Allie?" Lisbon asked, sitting on the arm of the couch next to Cho.

"I saw you wave to her in the restaurant," Cho said breaking his silence. "What was that about?"

"In chatting with Allie earlier I learned that Gibbs is very territorial," Jane explained, ignoring the fact that Pike had come up next to Lisbon. "They have the home court advantage here, so we'll need to make them feel their on uneven footing."

"Why the cameras?" Pike asked.

Jane looked over at him and tried not to scowl. "I need to know Brown and Gibbs' every move. Learn their patterns."

"That sounds like quite the process," Pike inserted again. "You could be here awhile sounds like."

_You wish, _Jane thought.

"How are we handling the cameras?" Pike asked.

Abbott spoke up this time. "Cho and Wiley will stay with the cameras most of the time and Jane, Lisbon, Fischer, you and I will rotate the shifts with them. Fischer and Lisbon the night shifts and the men during the day."

"Ah," Pike said. "That's why you had Teresa take my arm, Jane. She and Fischer are supposed to be prostitutes."

"Call girls," Jane and Cho both said curtly and in unison. Abbott smirked at them both. Both he and Cho glared at Abbott. Jane might have felt bad for Cho—he knew how uncomfortable it was for him having Lisbon and Fischer act like prostitutes, and knew exactly why that was the case—but he was too busy feeling sorry for himself when he realized that Lisbon might have to hang on Pike again at some point.

Pike ignored their outburst. "Won't they be suspicious when they realize Wiley hasn't left?"

"No," Wiley said animatedly. "I put all the cameras on a loop of empty halls for ten minutes and Cho snuck me up the stairwell. They'll never even know I was here."

Lisbon looked at her watch. "But I'm guessing they'll know exactly how long I've been here. I think it's about time I leave."

Both Jane and Pike looked up at her.

"I'll walk you down," Cho said.

Lisbon smiled at him. "Thanks."

"Just make sure you fill Fischer in before she heads over," Abbott told her.

"Yes sir."

"And Jane," Abbott said nodding at Jane's attire, "You might want to change into something a little less comfortable."

Jane suddenly felt a cool breeze cross his chest and his abdomen tightened as everyone turned and stared at him from their fully dressed positions. They all looked away just as summarily and Jane felt something that he assumed was close to, if not quite, embarrassment. It wasn't that he was out of shape, as a matter of fact he felt pretty good about his physique, and this morning had been excited to see Lisbon's reaction to him, but now, with Pike standing there in his suit looking lean and worthy, Jane felt indignant.

He stood up at that, grabbing his crutch and made his way as quickly as he could around the couches and into his room. He shut the door behind him and went to his suitcase and pulled out his suit.

He knew he should have said goodbye to Lisbon, but the entire situation had him walking on eggshells. He was hurt and angry, which he wasn't entirely sure he had the right to be. He was also scared and worried that he might do something that would make her second guess her decision to be with him. He was already pretty sure he was in the doghouse for having spied on her conversation with Pike. So he'd left without a goodbye, because he'd simply did not known what else to do.

He sat down on the bed with his clothes and stared at his foot. It was throbbing, but there wasn't really much he could do about it right now. He needed to change and get back out there. It took him an awkward and slightly painful moment to get out of his swim trunks and into his boxers, and even longer to get his pants on. He was panting from the effort and looked down at the clock, noting that it had taken him ten minutes to get this far.

He heard the front door shut and knew that had to be Lisbon. He sighed heavily and reached for his shirt. At least this part would be fast and easy. Both arms were in his sleeves and he had just started to button up his shirt when his door opened and Lisbon stepped in. He stopped what he was doing and looked at her as she shut the door behind her. She held the headphones he'd used to spy in one of her hands as she made her way over to him.

"I thought you'd left?" he said waiting for her to read him the riot act. Instead, as soon as she reached him, she threw the headphones on the bed next to him and herself into his arms.

"I'm so sorry, Jane," she said in a hoarse whisper. "I didn't…what you heard…"

She was on her knees between his thighs, her arms around his middle, her head resting against his clavicle.

"Aren't you worried about what Pike will think, you being in here with me?" He'd meant to sound accusing, but it came out concerned as he unwittingly wrapped his arms around her.

"Abbott took pity on me and told Pike he wanted to show him something downstairs." Jane stiffened at her unsavory response, but she continued unaware. "Don't be angry. I don't know what you heard, but I swear nothing happened."

He vaguely remembered being worried she'd be angry at him for spying, but with her apology came a sense of entitlement and he suddenly wanted answers. "So you didn't kiss him?"

She pulled back and looked at him. "No," she said quickly, defensively.

He narrowed his eyes and she closed hers and sighed deeply. "He kissed me, but I pushed him off."

Jane felt sick, but determined to hear it all, no matter how painful. "Did you change in front of him?"

Her face clouded over with righteous indignation. "What you take me for?"

"A confused woman who's being fought over by two men she loves," he said quickly and watched her face dropped. He felt his ire rise when she didn't deny she loved them both. "He's seen it all before, right? Cho said you two came straight in here when you got back."

She tried to pull away from him, indignation clearly written on her face, but he tightened his grip on her. "I changed in the bathroom, with the door locked." She signaled to the bathroom.

He clenched his jaw. "Are you really going to give him a fighting chance?"

She looked away from him and this time he allowed it when she pulled back and sat on her knees on the floor. "I chose you Jane. I want to be with you, but he's right—I was going to marry him. I was moving to D.C. to be with him. He deserves more than the phone call he got."

"The phone call in which you conveniently forgot to tell him you were with me," Jane said sharply. He shoved back the memory of her crying in the shower after she'd talked to Pike.

She closed her eyes and shook her head. "I just didn't want to hurt him like that. I thought I'd never see him again, Jane. I didn't know that not telling him would end up hurting him and you. If I had known…"

Jane slid to the edge of the bed. "What are you going to do?"

She opened her eyes and tilted her head up to look at him. "I'm going to let him talk, but that doesn't mean you need to be worried."

"Right," Jane said. He moved quickly to the floor in front of her, on to his knees and pulled her body flush against his before slamming his lips to hers.

She gasped at the unexpected contact and fierceness, but Jane was pleased to note that not only did she not fight him, she also returned his kisses with equal ardor. His hands slid down her back and to the top of her skirt and he started tugging at her shirt, pulling it from its confine.

"Jane," she gasped, "What are you doing?"

"Erasing his kiss from your skin," he said finished his task and slid his hands up her shirt and over the bare skin of her back. He didn't add that he was also making sure she could think of nothing but him until she was back with him again.

"Stop," she said halfheartedly.

"No," he replied kissing his way down her neck as his hands continued their explorations over the skin of her back.

He felt her hands slide from his back to his sides and down to his lower abdomen and his stomach jumped at her touch. It took him a moment to realize that she was undoing the one button he'd managed to button on his shirt before she'd thrown herself at him. Once undone, her hands slid inside his open shirt and he froze as her fingers trailed lightly up his back. After a moment he got his wits back and moved back up from her clavicle to her lips claiming them once again, only this time in a much softer, much sweeter kiss.

He smiled against her lips when she tried to recall the passion of what had been there moments before, but pulled back lightly before leaning in and giving her a butterfly kiss. She again tried to breach the seal of his mouth, but he pulled away once more before resting his lips lightly on hers again and shaking his head so that they'd softly caress hers from side to side as he moved. "Uh, uh," he chided.

She whimpered.

"Lisbon," he whispered against her lips. Her eyes remained closed and her breathing was coming in harsh little pants. "Teresa, look at me."

It took a moment before she registered what he'd said and opened her eyes. She smiled lightly after seeing the smirk on his face. "Yes, Jane?" she breathed.

He'd intended on saying something to get her riled up, like "Let Pike top that," or "How much do I owe you," but was surprised when he whispered, "I love you," instead.

Her smile widened and she leaned in, resting her head on his shoulder with a contented sigh as she continued to tickle his back with her fingers. He simply tightened his grip crushing her to him. He thought he might be holding her too tight, but she didn't resist.

Several moments later, when their breathing had calmed she spoke. "I have to go."

"All right," he said moving away from her, "but if you think I'm paying for this your mistaken. Getting a man all lathered up like this and leaving—worst call girl ever."

"I'll take that as a compliment," she said. She stood up and helped him to his feet and then back to the bed. Once he was seated she leaned forward and pecked his lips once more. "And Jane?"

"Yes, dear?" he asked with a silly smirk on his face, until he felt her pinch his arm, and then he yelped. "Ouch! What was that for?"

She pointed to the headphones. "For spying on me, and if I catch you doing it again, I'll do a lot worse." At that she turned on her heel and strutted out of the room.

* * *

Around one in the morning, Jane found himself in front of the cameras, as Fischer slept soundly on the opposite end of the couch. Pike and Abbott had left around six that evening and it had been a real task for Jane to keep his mind off the real possibility that the man might at this very moment be with Lisbon. The only comfort he took was from the text she'd sent him at nine-thirty telling him she was going to sleep and to sleep well. If she was sleeping, she wasn't talking with Pike. And if she had spoken with Pike and decided to stay with him, she wouldn't have texted him to tell him goodnight.

Fischer had arrived around eleven, wearing a leopard print skirt and black boat neck shirt with a gold chain belt draped over her hip and gold sandals. He'd shaken his head when he'd seen her, not in the least surprised that she'd chosen leopard print. She'd gotten the idea from him after all. She'd immediately insisted that Cho and Wiley each take a room and get some sleep. Which seemed only fair, but Jane hadn't been happy when Wiley went into _his _room. Then he'd been even more irritated when Fischer had dosed off an hour later.

Not that he could really blame her. Nothing was happening. Even the concierge seemed to be asleep at the front desk.

Determined to stay awake, Jane had connected the earphones to Wiley's laptop and listened to every channel for each of the rooms where the speakers had been set up. He wasn't really sure why he'd thought that be fun or interesting, because if no one in the hotel was up, there would be nothing to listen to. Except the concierge, who as it turned out wasn't asleep, but humming a grating tune off key. He'd immediately unplugged after that and glanced over at Fischer.

He was tempted to wake her and insist she play twenty questions with him, when he caught sight of something on the floor under the coffee. He bent down and reached under the table until he felt cool metal under his fingers. He grasped the object and pulled it out, smiling at his discovery. It was Wiley's listening antenna. Jane had completely forgotten that Wylie had hidden it there. He fiddled with it for a moment before plugging in his headphones and aiming it at different walls as though it were a gun.

He heard nothing. Not even the crackling of dead air. He dropped the device on the coffee table in front of him, and made a mental note to ask Wiley how it worked tomorrow. He reached up to pull the headphones off when they crackled to life followed by a bloodcurdling scream.

* * *

**A/N: I'm sure there are some grammatical errors in this, but I didn't have time to proof it. Sorry about that. I hope you enjoyed it though and will let me know what you thought. Thanks for reading! **


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